Nov 18, 2013 Gov. Jindal: Obama Admin. Backs Off School Choice Lawsuit, But New Strategy to Red Tape Program to Death

Latest Ruling is a Victory for Equal Opportunity of Education

BATON ROUGE – In a ruling today regarding a motion to intervene in the suit against the Louisiana Scholarship Program, United States District Court Judge Ivan Lemelle stated the Department of Justice has abandoned its previous request that the Court permanently stop the scholarship program. Governor Jindal said that the Department of Justice abandoning its attempt to halt the scholarship program is a victory, but he warned that the Department of Justice's new strategy could "red tape and regulate the program to death."

Governor Jindal said, “We are pleased that the Obama Administration has given up its attempt to end the Louisiana Scholarship Program with this absurd lawsuit. It is great the Department of Justice has realized, at least for the time being, it has no authority to end equal opportunity of education for Louisiana children.

“However, we will continue to fight, at every step, the Department of Justice’s new Washington strategy to red tape and regulate the program to death.

“The Department of Justice’s new position is that it wants bureaucrats in Washington to have the authority to decide where Louisiana children get an education.

“The centerpiece of the Department of Justice's 'process' is a requirement that the state may not tell parents, for 45 days, that their child has been awarded a scholarship while the department decides whether to object to the scholarship award. The obvious purpose of this gag order would be to prevent parents from learning that the Department of Justice might try to take their child’s scholarship away if it decides that the child is the wrong race.

“The updated Department of Justice request reeks of federal government intrusion that would put a tremendous burden on the state, along with parents and teachers who want to participate in school choice.”